National Wetlands Research Center

USGS Technology To Benefit Lake Pontchartrain Basin

The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation's job of restoring and preserving the Basin just got easier thanks to technology developed by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wetlands Research Center, headquartered in Lafayette, La.

The technology is essentially a computerized decision support system that helps citizens and officials analyze problems and make decisions about restoration and preservation of the Pontchartrain Basin. The system will be demonstrated at the Bogue Falaya Park in Covington, La. on Jan. 23 at 10:30 a.m.

The system packages 80 geographic datasets with an immense amount of information. That information includes the 2000 U.S. Census records, Federal Emergency Management Assistance flood maps, Coastal Zone Permits, water quality monitoring stations, restoration sites, hydrological patterns, geological surveys, and historical and current habitat maps.

Carlton Dufrechou, executive director of the foundation, said that the first application of the new technology will be to pinpoint sources of pollution above Bogue Falaya Park, near Covington, La. Covington is in St. Tammany, the coastal parish with the most rapidly growing population.

With the computerized system, the foundation and the City of Covington will be able to more readily locate permitted sewage treatment plants, areas of dense population affecting individual streams and bayous, and other potential pollution sources discharging into the Bogue Falaya. Once these sources are identified, monitoring programs will evaluate the extent and nature of environmental damage.

James B. Johnston, USGS/NWRC branch chief of spatial analysis, said, "This system is one of several we've developed to help managers address natural resource issues, not only in coastal Louisiana, but in places like the Everglades and in bays along the Gulf Coast."

The decision support system, according to Bob Stewart, NWRC Director, is similar to one the center developed for the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources to enhance the department's Coastal Zone Management Office in its wetlands permitting process.

As the nation's largest water, earth and biological science and civilian mapping agency, the USGS works in cooperation with more than 2000 organizations across the country to provide reliable, impartial scientific information to resource managers, planners and other customers. This information is gathered in every state by USGS scientists to minimize the loss of life and property from natural disasters, to contribute to the sound conservation, economic and physical development of the nation's natural resources and to enhance the quality of life by monitoring water, biological, energy and mineral resources.

Press releases and in-depth information about USGS programs may be found on the USGS home page: http://www.usgs.gov. To receive the latest USGS news releases automatically by e-mail, send a request to (listproc@listserver.usgs.gov). Specify the listserver(s) of interest from the following names: water-pr; geologic-hazards-pr; biological-pr; mapping-pr; products-pr; lecture-pr. In the body of the message write: subscribe (name of listserver) (your name). Example: subscribe water-pr joe smith.

Return to National Wetlands Research Center News Releases.

Index of USGS News Releases

The USGS serves the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.

To receive USGS news releases go to www.usgs.gov/public/list_server.html to subscribe.

Return to National Wetlands Research Center Press Releases.

Index of USGS Press Releases

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/releases/pr02_03.htm
Page Contact Information: nwrcweb@usgs.gov
Page Last Modified: Thursday, 04-Oct-2007 12:51:03 EDT